Adequate mastering of his most misunderstood album. A little too much added reverb changes the tone subtly, and the background hiss present on all recordings is more evident here, somewhat intruding on the music.

Mike Oldfield's autobiography 'Changeling' was an essential read for those interested in the genesis of Mike's early career, personal life challenges and the driving forces behind his music. It left fans satisfied, but many felt it didn't emphasise his later works nearly enough. Chris Dewey's excellent book redresses the balance in favour of a chronological look at the music from the very early days of 'The Sallyangie', right up to date with the triumpant 2012 Olympics performance. If you're looking for in-depth, insider and unheard stories on the making of Mike Oldfield's albums - here's the book you've been waiting for. All his album's are catered for, with a wealth of photographs of memorabilia to complement the prose. Chris' inside take on Oldfield's career as editor of the official Dark Star website affords him a unique view of the man and his music.

Tangerine Dream have undergone huge changes in personnel and even more radical change in musical direction since their inception in 1967. Edgar Froese is the one continuous member since then and has overseen the group from their original space rock / avant garde / electronic roots to a more commercial sound which has remained dominant since. This album, originally released in 1986, and marked the beginning of the shift in emphasis from the era of piano led keyboard flourishes and prominent sequencers to the more sedate, reflective sound veering very close to the dreaded 'new age' style, which unfortunately became the norm from here on.This is a fine album though. The undoubted musical prowess of Froese and Franke found an excellent foil in Paul Haslinger. The sequencers are more restrained than before, and there are classical style arrangements with Edgar Froese's trademark guitar solos (also quite restrained).The overall feeling is one of a group confident in their ability whilst adapting their sound with a new band member. It's a pity it went too far down the safe route after this.Recommended.

In the white-hot heat of the FGTH explosion the extended 12" remix was instrumental in promoting releases beyond the time that singles would normally drop down the charts and fall off the public radar. To some this smacked of exploitation, but to those fans who bought into all this it was anything but. The reason was these remixes were utterly superb - a multitude of arrangements, perfect production values, attention to detail (down to the artistry of the packaging) and a plethora of exclusive b-sides. ZTT did the same thing for all the artists in it's roster, thereby producing the delights you can hear on this compilation. As well as Frankie, there are rare cuts from Propaganda, Andrew Poppy, 808 State et al. There are also some of the little snippets that were buried across many ZTT 12"s beloved of the collector to round off this set.

The episodes here, the remaining Diana Rigg episodes - bar one - are the ones most people refer to when mentioning the Avengers. By now the more gritty storylines have been replaced with the tongue in cheek and sometimes downright fantasy laden fare.

Note: Diana Rigg's final appearance appears in the following series release, as she hands over to Linda Thorson.

The restoration here is superb, the 60's colour laden palette bursts out from the screen, the audio doesn't have the problems repored elsewhere. The special features include introductions to selected episodes, Granada Plus points, short film newsreels, commentaries and PDF material.

I have to echo the comments of the previous reviewers here. Network have to be congratulated on this release. The HD transfer is exceptional: pristine with no artefacts on either the master or effects shots. I was sceptical that any worthwhile improvement would be seen over Network's exceptional DVD release a few years back. Fear not - the HD transfer originally used for that DVD release finds new life here. One example is the nuclear explosion as seen from the Eagle craft - superb. The original 4:3 ratio is retained I'm delighted to say, which puts into perspective the ridiculous decision by ITV to crop the series for 16:9 broadcast during their initial testing of ITV HD. The only minor disappiontment I have is that the audio was not upgraded from the lossy DTS used in the DVD reissue, and not lossless audio.All the extra material from the DVD release is included along with additional material such as HD image galleries and a first time HD transfer of a second series episode 'The Metamorph'.A reprint of the extensive booklet (replacing the two smaller ones on the DVD set) details the genesis of the series, background information and an article on the HD restoration. The episode synopses appear to be missing from this reprint.The Blu Ray menus are clear and user friendly, reminiscent of the computer screen on Moonbase Alpha. The screen even declares 'Human Decision Required' when choosing options from the menu.N.B. On the outer slipcase I received it was marked 'Limited Edition No. 1691' There are 1999 limited edition slipcase covers with different pictures. The standard releases will appear without slipcases.

This is the Avengers series where the so-called 'Spy-Fi' element became much more evident. Emma Peel is is as formidable as her predesessor - more demure perhaps, but no pushover.The series was by now recorded on film and is evident on this release, the picture and audio are the best ever presented on DVD. Fans of the Honor Blackman era sometimes criticise the last three series for being too far removed from the grittier tales of the past, but this is the Avengers that most people remember with it's own share of very strong stories. Released with a wealth of extras, it's time to bask in the nostagia of British TV at it's best.

The Avengers is most well known as humourous 'spy-fi' with Diana Rigg as the glamourous side kick to Steed's debonair Whitehall spy. This DVD set dispells those assumptions. The 2 surviving episodes from Series 1 are more akin to a grittier version of the Saint, with an emphasis on straight crime drama. Indeed, Series 1's lead character Dr. Keel avenging the murder of his fiancee with help from the mysterious Steed in the pilot episode is the origin of the series title.

Series 2 continues the darker tone, and when Honor Blackman debuts as Cathy Gale she is as effective in the fight scenes as anyone. The humour begins to make it's presence felt more as the series went on but not as obviously as in later years, it's used mainly to emphasise Gale as Steed's (indeed anyone's) equal - an almost unheard of quality on TV back then.

The picture quality on these DVD's is remarkable given the source material, and the extras are plentiful and informative. It makes the loss of the second half of the pilot and most of Series 1 all the more regrettable. The missing segments of the pilot are replaced with tele snaps, scripts and clippings from the original producers scrapbook, reproduced in an excellent book.

Holly Johnson shows an unheralded talent for storytelling with this frank account of his rise to fame and subsequent travails thereafter. It deals with his mostly unhappy childhood, sexual awakening, fame, excess, the legal spat and courtroom drama with ZTT, and ends with the revelation of his HIV diagnosis. The chapters on FGTH and the fractious relationships with his bandmates are compelling. The central core of the book is relationships: his father, one schoolfriend, housemates, Paul Rutherford, FGTH's 'lads' and Jill Sinclair and Trevor Horn of ZTT.The passages on his uncompromising father are at once hilarious and tragic.

It is an unfliching account of the price of fame, thouroughly readable and enjoyable.

The bar was raised considerably in Twilight Zone's first two seasons, and it does not dissapoint here.I'll not repeat what other reviewers have said about the episodes (I can't improve what was said), but I'llconcentrate on the overall package. The episodes have been remastered, and look superb with little or no artefacts, and excellent contrast. I like the fact that the original break bumpers, Rod Serling intros of the next weeks episodes, CBS promos and Public Information Films are all intact. This gives a real sense of context of the times these programmes were first broadcast. The extras are a little thin on the ground, conisting of audio commentaries of selected episodes.